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Saturday, September 1, 2012

Surname Saturday ~ BROWNING of Topsfield, Massachusetts

BROWNING

Thomas Browning is an early resident of Topsfield,
Massachusetts. His origins are unknown. He was born about 1587 in England. In 1669 he gave his age as 73 years old in a
deposition.

The earliest record of Thomas Browning is his freeman’s
oath in Salem on 17 April 1637. By 1657
he had moved from Salem to Topsfield.
There was a lawsuit by the town dated 1657 suing Thomas Browning for
fencing a meadow owned by the town, where he had cut hay. The church in Salem dismissed Browning to
Topsfield on 8 November 1663.

He helped to found the church in Topsfield sometime around 1663.

Thomas Browning and his wife, Mary, had no surviving
sons, and five daughters. Thus the name
Browning daughtered out early in Essex County, Massachusetts!

His will was found in the book Historical
Collections of the Topsfield Historical Society, by George Francis Dow, 1920,
on pages 108 – 109:

16 Feb 1670/1:

The
last Will and testament of Thomas Browning of Salem being sicke in bodie yett
of pfct understanding this 16th day if febewari: 1670 Imprimis I doe apoint my
wife to bee my whole Executres and do giue my grandchild Thomas Towne twenty
two pounds: which twelue pounds is in the hands of his father & ten pounds
is in the hands of his uncle Jacob Towne: to be paid to the sd Thomas Towne
aforesaidwhen he come to be twentie & one yeares of Age.

Itam
I giue my wifes deseace All my land and housing at Topsfield, to my daughter
Towne her husband & my daughter Simons & her husband during their
lives. And after their deceace to be disposed by the two daughters abousd to
the Children of their own bodies Laufully And there husbands All my land and
Howsing at Salem. After my wifes deceace as aboue is Exprest And after their
deceace as abouvesaid, And if anie of my daughters die without issew: Then the
estate to be deuided among the Children of my daughters siruiuing And if my
wife should dy without a will, whatsoever id Left to be deuided betwin my fowr
daughters or there Children.

Generation 1: Thomas Browning, born about 1587 in
England. He died in February 1669/70 in
Topsfield, Massachusetts; married to Mary Unknown. Four children:

1.Elizabeth,
born about 1635, married James Symonds (Salem furniture maker)

2.Mary,
born 7 November 1637 in Salem; married Edmund Towne (brother to three accused witches)

3.Sarah
(see below)

4.Deborah,
born 31 January1647 in Salem; married first John Perkins, second Isaac Meacham

Generation 2: Sarah Browning, born about 1640
married Joseph Williams on 20 November 1661 in Salem, Massachusetts, son of
George Williams and Mary Unknown. He was
baptized on 10 May 1640 in Salem, and died about 1696. Three children and I
descend from two of them:

1.Abigail
Williams (see below)

2.Benjamin
Williams, twin born 7 July 1663, no further information

3.Daniel
Williams (see below)

Lineage A:

Generation 3: Abigail Browning, twin to Benjamin,
born 7 July 1663; married on 17 March 1686 in Marblehead, Massachusetts to
Samuel Allen, son of Samuel Allen and Sarah Tuck. He was born 4 August 1663 in Manchester,
Massachusetts and died about 4 February 1744 in Manchester, Massachusetts. Nine children.

3 comments:

Some Tufts in West Brookfield MA married Brownings. William Tuffs/Tufts married a Margaret Browning and his sister Sarah married her brother John in 1763 and 1761 respectively. They both left many descendents. William and Sarah were descendents of John Tuffs/Tufts whose records are unclear and may be fron James and James to Peter Tufts the immigrant. Dr. James Hayden Tufts claimed this family was from the John Tuffs/Tufts from Ireland of Scots-Irish descent. John's wife was Agnes Foote and her stone states "born in Scotland" but it is possible he was the John who shipwrecked on Sable Island or of unknown immigration. Could your Thomas Browning been related to James the father of these siblings of West Brookfield (born in Rutland MA)?

The Brownings in my post lived 100 years before and left no male descendants to carry on the name. I have no idea if his orgins are English or from elsewhere. It is possible they are related, but it would be difficult to find proof.

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About Me

Author of the Nutfield Genealogy blog and occasional genealogy speaker. My family research includes Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, with a smattering of Nova Scotia. Please contact me if you see your ancestors on this blog. I would love to share information. I am the former secretary of the New Hampshire Mayflower Society, former President of the Londonderry Historical Society, member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Mass. Society of Genealogists, The National Genealogical Society, and the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists.